2013 is just over the horizon and one of the first major releases of the year is Dead Space 3. Since it’s reveal this past summer, a lot has been made about the changes to the franchise’s third entry. The online co-op, weapon upgrade system, and the setting of the icy planet of Tau Volantis have all made longtime fans wary of the next entry. But we’re here to tell you that, at least based on what we’ve played, there’s little to fear--outside of being ripped apart by the series’ trademark Necromorphs.

Dead Space 3 intends to continue scaring the excrement out of players, and the developers are trying a number of new things while attempting to stay true to the franchise’s roots. That approach worked out in Dead Space 2, so will the devs be able to reach a similar balance this time around? We have at least nine reasons we’re excited to see if DS3 can pull that off in time for launch on February 5.

From the day Dead Space 3 was announced, a fair number of franchise fans took issue with the inclusion of online co-op. Isaac, formerly a loner, would now be accompanied by John Carver, a man who on the surface seems to be the bald space marine archetype that Dead Space had long avoided. But as our recent gameplay showed us, Carver has some repressed problems coming to the surface, thanks to the lunacy-inducing Markers that Dead Space is known for.

The alien structures are driving Carver mad, giving him visions and illusions that prey on his deepest fears. Isaac already overcame the power of the Marker in his previous interactions with them, so he’s unaffected, meaning the person playing Carver is seeing some really messed up stuff while Isaac has to deal with oncoming enemies and his teammate freaking out. It creates an interesting dynamic, and we’d like to play as Carver just to see all his crazy delusions.

However, even after hearing about the interesting additions to two-player action, you still might be completely against the idea of co-op in Dead Space. If so, then you’ll be happy to know the game can be played 100% solo. That even means that you won’t be accompanied by an AI controlled partner, as the solo campaign is a unique, purposefully solitary experience.

In single-player, it’s classic Dead Space, with Isaac trying his best to survive while searching for the source of an outbreak of deadly alien forces. Carver pops up every now and then in the campaign, likely to facilitate the drop-in/drop-out nature of online play, but otherwise Isaac is alone in derelict space stations and the frozen world of Tau Volantis, searching for answers. Developer Visceral intends to make it the kind of experience fans have come to expect from Dead Space, and outside of some co-op exclusive side quests, it seems you’ll experience as much of the world alone as you would with a partner. Oh, did we mention there are side quests now?

Though we could fill a whole feature listing the differences between the first and second Dead Space games, the campaigns of both did share a certain linearity. You start at Point A and through a series of horrifying, cringe-inducing events, Isaac eventually ends up at Point B. This time around, Visceral intends to open its story up a bit more.

The primary way Visceral has expanded Dead Space 3's scope is to add a number of side quests and optional content throughout the stages. The side mission we experienced sent us to an unseen section of an empty ship and, after clearing the room of monsters, we opened a box and got a rare piece of tech, along with some chilling background on why the ship was so eerily empty. As we mentioned earlier, some of these missions will be co-op only, but all will net players new items, many of which will be used in the new weapon upgrade system.

Dead Space has always put a lot of importance on upgrading Isaac’s weapons and abilities, but Dead Space 3 is taking things a bit further. Before, you were limited to the number of “Nodes” you found in the world, since those were what was used to improve your items. Now those set types of weapons have been basically unified to make room to build and equip one of a thousand variations of guns.

You’ll find parts everywhere, different pieces of weapons from Dead Space’s arsenal, and you can mix and match them together to create your own specialized weapon. A plasma cutter mixed with a force gun and a javelin gun with an attached flamethrower are just two of the examples the devs gave us. But don’t worry about finding the special ammo for your unique weapon. Now the ammo you find can be used in any gun, and after we got over our shock at the change, we believe universal ammo might be a smart adjustment to deal with the extreme variation that’s coming to the weapons cache.

Another change to Dead Space is the loss of some of that eponymous “space.” The first two games took place almost entirely on satellites or ships adrift in space, but much of DS3 seems to take place on the frozen world of Tau Volantis. Now that Isaac will be able to breath real air and walk around in non-simulated gravity, what can you expect from the large chunks of time spent on Tau?

Our biggest takeaway was the unanticipated variety of settings on the ice-covered planet. Some areas are inhabited outposts with working equipment; others are abandoned buildings that have frozen over. Sometimes you’ll be walking in wide-open areas getting blasted by the wind, and other times you’ll be checking the dark corners and tight spaces of an ancient cave system. The only certainty on Tau Volantis is that you won’t have to wait long to find something that’s trying to kill you.

Still, Tau Volantis isn’t all that DS3 has to offer players, as we’ve had a small taste of Dead Space 3’s outer space sections. We’re not totally sure where the space portions are set in relation to Tau Volantis proper, but there are a number of abandoned ships and debris hanging in space in an area called the Flotilla. And that’s where you’ll find the atmosphere you’ve come to expect from the series.

Do you like exploring silent corridors, watching the lights flicker as you wait for a reanimated corpse to explode out of an air vent the moment you least expect it? Want to fly around in Zero G and scream in pain surrounded by the empty void of space? Want to search eerily empty living quarters for new items? That’s all on the Flotilla, though the real question is how often you’ll be heading there.

Dead Space’s monsters are some of the most disturbing in all of gaming. The franchise just wouldn’t be the same without the twisted, misshapen Necromorphs. Those deformed corpses are back in DS3, and they include new models like the skeletal Wasters that hide beneath the corpses of average looking humans. We’ve even seen some Godzilla-sized Necromorphs that tower over any beast we’ve seen before in the series.

But Tau Volantis is also inhabited by humans, and in a first for the series, humans are more than just eventual corpses--they’re threats all on their own. The mercenaries employed by the mysterious enemies in Dead Space 3 are out looking for Isaac and Carver, and while they may lack the bloodthirsty nature of Necromorphs, they’re a whole lot smarter, taking cover and waiting to strike at the right time. Then there’s the added strategy of those corpses turning into another Necromorph if you don’t move fast enough.

The original Dead Space was focused on scares and atmosphere, and while Dead Space 2 offered heavy doses of that as well, it also changed things up. Taking inspiration from games like Uncharted 2, Dead Space 2 dotted its scary narrative with explosive action setpieces that paid off (for the most part). Dead Space 3 looks to be keeping DS2’s ethos alive.

We’ve already seen exciting moments where Isaac has narrowly escaped falling off a ravine, or him barely surviving a crash landing. But we witnessed our favorite moment so far playing in co-op. Isaac and Carver are deliberately scaling a sheer cliff wall, taking their time until they start getting attacked. Soon they're jumping over cavernous divides in the rock face to avoid falling debris and monsters. It’s an unexpected moment for Dead Space, but one that’s executed impeccably.

Gamers who call the 360 home have no doubt gotten used to seeing a purple label on the occasional game box proclaiming the title as “Better with Kinect.” Dead Space 3 is now following games like Mass Effect 3 and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier by adding the feature. And while it’s nothing revolutionary, we at least give it credit for being unobtrusive and mostly working during our demo.

In our brief co-op demo with Kinect, the casual peripheral's use was limited to just voice controls. If we shouted “use stasis,” Isaac used his time-freezing stasis power. When we told him to use a healing item, he did it. The majority of the Kinect functionality could also be done on the gamepad, but it was a chintzy bonus, and we’ll admit that it at least somewhat streamlined the multiple commands that it takes to give an item to our co-op partner.

As excited as we may be for Dead Space 3, we won’t know if our excitement pays off until we can get our hands on the final game. Until then, tell us in the comments if you still have doubts about this sequel.

And if you're looking for more info on the games of 2013, check out the most anticipated games of 2013 and the most interesting stars of upcoming games.